Also known as: Battle of Mobile Bay.
| Date | August 1864 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mobile Bay, Alabama |
| Defenses | Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines guarding the bay entrance |
| Action | Federal fleet ran past the forts under heavy fire |
Forts against a fleet
The entrance to Mobile Bay was guarded by Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, whose heavy seacoast guns commanded the narrow channel. In August 1864 a Federal fleet forced the passage, running past the forts under a heavy exchange of fire while contending with the harbor's obstructions and the ironclad ram defending it.
The engagement was a classic contest between fixed seacoast artillery and naval gunnery, and its success closed one of the Confederacy's last Gulf ports to blockade running.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: GPO, 1880-1901.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: fort and battlefield references, manuals, and reports.